III 

Calendar No. 154 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 20 

Condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, in Burma and 

the Burmese military’s detention of civilian leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting accountability and justice for those killed by the Burmese military, and calling 

for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their duties without 

impediment, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 31, 2023 

Mr. CARDIN (for himself, Mr. YOUNG, Mr. MERKLEY, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. 

KAINE, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mrs. SHAHEEN, Mrs. GILLIBRAND, and Mr. 

PADILLA) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Foreign Relations 

JULY 25, 2023 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment, and an amendment to the 

preamble, and an amendment to the title 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, 

in Burma and the Burmese military’s detention of civilian leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional 

release of all those detained, promoting accountability 

and justice for those killed by the Burmese military, 

and calling for those elected to serve in parliament to 


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•SRES 20 RS 

resume their duties without impediment, and for other 

purposes. 

Whereas, on February 1, 2021, the Burmese military and its 

aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) 

conducted a coup against the civilian government hours 

before Parliament was to convene in a new session, resulting in the military junta illegally detaining State 

Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President Win Myint, and 

members of Parliament, as well as pro-democracy activists from the 88 Generation and other civil society leaders; 

Whereas, since February 1, 2021, the Burmese military has 

detained more than 13,000 people for exercising their 

rights of freedom of speech and assembly and killed more 

than 2,800 civilians, including children; 

Whereas the Burmese military put the democratically elected 

civilian leadership of Burma, including President Win 

Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, through 

sham trials for fabricated crimes and sentenced them to 

lengthy prison terms in order to remove them from political competition; 

Whereas Aung San Suu Kyi was sentenced to 33 years in 

prison for multiple spurious charges; 

Whereas the Burmese military has become the world’s second 

largest detainer of journalists, with over 100 journalists 

imprisoned since the coup; 

Whereas the Burmese military’s actions have driven hundreds 

of thousands from their homes and driven thousands to 

flee across Burma’s borders into Thailand, India, and 

Bangladesh; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

Whereas fighting between the Burmese military and several 

ethnic armed groups continues, with government forces 

committing increasingly violent abuses against ethnic 

Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Shan, and 

Rohingya minority populations; 

Whereas the Burmese military restricted freedom of movement, telecommunications, and the media, limiting access 

to information to and from Burma during the COVID– 

19 pandemic, which exacerbated the political crisis initiated by the February 1, 2021 coup; 

Whereas senior generals of the Burmese military have been 

sanctioned by the United States Government for serious 

human rights abuses and for their role in the coup and 

are subject to ongoing investigations into their conduct 

by the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice; 

Whereas, on January 28, 2021, the Union Election Commission rejected allegations by the Burmese military that 

fraud played a significant role in determining the outcome of the November 2020 elections; 

Whereas Burma’s November 2020 elections resulted in the 

National League for Democracy party securing enough 

seats in Parliament to form the next government; 

Whereas Burmese military general Min Aung Hlaing has announced his intentions for Burmese parliamentary elections to be held by August 1, 2023; 

Whereas, without full participation from relevant political 

forces in the country, including civil society groups and 

opposition parties, and without a robust presence of credible international observers, the results of any parliamenVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20

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•SRES 20 RS 

tary election run by the military regime will not gain 

widespread acceptance, domestically or internationally; 

Whereas, in July 2022, the Burmese military executed four 

male activists accused of aiding insurgents to fight Burma’s army following secret trials; 

Whereas, in response to the Civil Disobedience Movement’s 

opposition protests, the Burmese military has used live 

fire, water cannons, and rubber bullets against peace 

protestors; 

Whereas, in December 2021, violent reprisals against peaceful protests resulted in the torture and subsequent deaths 

of over 40 civilians in Sagaing; 

Whereas the Burmese military has a long history of committing atrocities against the people of Burma, including the 

targeting of specific ethnic groups; 

Whereas, as of October 2022, over 943,000 stateless 

Rohingya refugees reside in Ukhiya and Teknaf Upazilas, 

Bangladesh, the vast majority of whom live in 34 extremely congested camps; 

Whereas, on March 21, 2022, the United States Secretary of 

State formally determined that members of the Burmese 

military committed genocide and crimes against humanity 

against Rohingya in 2016 and 2017; 

Whereas the Association of Southeast Asian Nations 

(ASEAN) and ASEAN member states continue to play 

an important role in addressing the crisis in Burma, including through the provision of humanitarian assistance 

in Burma and by preventing junta leadership from participating in ASEAN meetings, absent progress on the 5 

Point Consensus; 


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Whereas United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation 

of Human Rights in Myanmar Thomas H. Andrews and 

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar 

Noeleen Heyzer continue to provide ongoing reporting 

and analysis of the dire and deteriorating situation for 

the men, women, and children of Burma, inside the country and as refugees, including through presentations to 

the United Nations Human Rights Council and the 

United Nations General Assembly, and through reports 

that document the illegitimacy of the Burmese junta and 

urge member states to engage in coordinated sanctions 

and weapon embargos against the junta; 

Whereas the Independent Investigative Mechanism for 

Myanmar continues to collect, consolidate, preserve, and 

analyze evidence of serious international crimes and violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 

2011, and helps to facilitate and expedite fair and independent criminal proceedings; and 

Whereas, in December 2022, the United Nations Security 

Council adopted Resolution 2669 on Burma, the first resolution on Burma since the country was admitted as a 

member state in 1948, calling for the immediate end to 

all forms of violence and urging restraint and the release 

of all prisoners: Now, therefore, be it 

Whereas, on February 1, 2021, Burma’s military regime and 

its aligned Union Solidarity and Development Party 

(USDP) conducted a coup against the civilian government 

of Burma hours before Parliament was to convene in a 

new session, resulting in the military junta illegally detaining State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, President 

Win Myint, and members of Parliament, as well as proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20

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•SRES 20 RS 

democracy activists from the 88 Generation and other civil 

society leaders; 

Whereas, since February 1, 2021, Burma’s military regime has 

detained more than 13,000 people for exercising their 

rights of freedom of speech and assembly and killed more 

than 2,800 civilians, including children; 

Whereas Burma’s military regime put the democratically elected civilian leadership of Burma, including President Win 

Myint and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, through 

sham trials for fabricated crimes and sentenced them to 

lengthy prison terms in order to remove them from political competition; 

Whereas, in March 2023, Burma’s military regime-controlled 

Union Election Commission abolished 40 political parties 

on legally spurious grounds, including the National 

League for Democracy; 

Whereas Burma’s military regime has become one of the 

world’s largest detainer of journalists, with over 100 journalists imprisoned since the coup; 

Whereas the actions of Burma’s military regime have driven 

hundreds of thousands from their homes and driven thousands to flee across Burma’s borders into Thailand, India, 

and Bangladesh; 

Whereas fighting between Burma’s military regime and several 

ethnic armed groups continues, with government forces 

committing increasingly violent abuses against ethnic 

Karen, Kayah, Kachin, Chin, Rakhine, Shan, and 

Rohingya minority populations; 

Whereas senior generals of Burma’s military regime have been 

sanctioned by the United States Government for serious 

human rights abuses and for their role in the coup; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

Whereas cases of Burma’s military regime and individual 

members of the security forces responsible for atrocities are 

being investigated and adjudicated in ongoing judicial 

processes, including at the International Criminal Court 

and the International Court of Justice; 

Whereas, in December 2021, violent reprisals against peaceful 

protests resulted in the torture and subsequent deaths of 

over 40 civilians in Sagaing; 

Whereas Burma’s military regime has a long history of committing atrocities against people across Burma, including 

the targeting of specific ethnic groups; 

Whereas, on March 21, 2022, the United States Secretary of 

State announced his determination that members of Burma’s military regime committed genocide and crimes 

against humanity against Rohingya; and 

Whereas the governments of the People’s Republic of China and 

the Russian Federation have taken advantage of the coup 

to extend their own security interests and commercial priorities, neither of which are in the interest of the people 

of Burma, the United States, or the military and economic 

interests of the United States in the Indo-Pacific: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the people of Burma in their quest 

3 for democracy, sustainable peace, and genuine ethnic 

4 and religious reconciliation, and the realization of 

5 internationally recognized human rights for all, in6 cluding for ethnic and religious groups whose human 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 rights have been violated repeatedly and who have 

2 been disenfranchised historically; 

3 (2) calls on the Burmese military to— 

4 (A) immediately and unconditionally re5 lease all political prisoners detained as a result 

6 of the coup on February 1, 2021; 

7 (B) immediately restore all forms of com8 munication, including access to the internet 

9 without surveillance; 

10 (C) immediately end the use of violence 

11 and allow for a legal process for accountability 

12 and justice for those unlawfully detained, in13 jured, and killed by the Burmese military; 

14 (D) remove all impediments to free travel 

15 that have been imposed as a result of the coup; 

16 (E) return to power all members of the ci17 vilian government elected in the November 8, 

18 2020, elections and allow them to fulfill their 

19 mandate without impediment; 

20 (F) allow for freedom of expression, includ21 ing the right to protest, peaceful assembly, 

22 press freedom, and freedom of movement; and 

23 (G) allow unfettered reporting from local, 

24 national, and international media; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 (3) calls on social media companies to suspend 

2 the accounts of the Union Solidarity and Develop3 ment Party and the Burmese military that have 

4 used their platforms to spread disinformation, fear, 

5 and threats of violence; 

6 (4) supports the use of all diplomatic, economic, 

7 and development tools to ensure that vulnerable 

8 groups, including ethnic and religious groups, as well 

9 as all children, youth, and teachers in educational 

10 settings are safe, and schools and universities are 

11 not targeted for attacks or use by the Burmese mili12 tary; 

13 (5) expresses grave concern for the safety and 

14 security of the more than 1,000,000 internally dis15 placed persons (referred to in this resolution as 

16 ‘‘IDPs’’) and refugees who have been displaced by 

17 the Burmese military and now face challenging con18 ditions in camps; 

19 (6) expresses grave concern for the 17,600,000 

20 people of Burma who are in need of humanitarian 

21 aid, including the 1,500,000 IDPs in Burma, of 

22 which some 165,000 remain in the southeast, adding 

23 to those already displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Shan, 

24 and Kachin states; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 (7) appreciates the generosity of Burma’s 

2 neighboring countries, including Thailand, India, 

3 and Bangladesh, and encourages them to meaning4 fully assist refugees who have fled and continue to 

5 flee the Burmese military, including through the de6 livery of cross-border humanitarian assistance and 

7 with recognition of the protracted nature of the con8 flict; and 

9 (8) calls on the President, the Secretary of 

10 State, and the Secretary of Defense to fully imple11 ment section 7008 of the Department of State, For12 eign Operations, and Related Programs Appropria13 tions Act, 2021 (division K of Public Law 116–260), 

14 the BURMA Act of 2022 (subtitle E of title LV of 

15 division E of Public Law 117–263), and any similar 

16 or successor law governing United States foreign as17 sistance following a coup, and to immediately— 

18 (A) impose targeted restrictions aimed at 

19 the Burmese military, military-owned or con20 trolled enterprises, and those responsible for the 

21 February 1, 2021, coup; 

22 (B) work with the international commu23 nity, including at the United Nations Security 

24 Council, with United States allies in the region, 

25 and with the Association of Southeast Asian 


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1 Nations, to condemn the coup, delegitimize the 

2 junta and any military-run elections announced 

3 by the junta, and take steps to ensure that 

4 international economic engagement in Burma 

5 does not contribute to human rights abuses or 

6 benefit individuals connected to the coup; 

7 (C) support conditionality on diplomatic, 

8 economic, and security relations with Burma, 

9 including using the voice and vote of the United 

10 States at multilateral development institutions, 

11 until all those detained in the February 1, 

12 2021, coup are released and there has been a 

13 full restoration of the civilian-controlled par14 liament reflecting the November 8, 2020, elec15 tion results; 

16 (D) utilize the United States Government’s 

17 position on the United Nations Security Council 

18 to bring about greater international cooperation 

19 in the pursuit of justice and accountability in 

20 Burma; 

21 (E) empower and provide assistance to the 

22 National Unity Government of the Republic of 

23 the Union of Myanmar, the National Unity 

24 Consultative Council, the Civil Disobedience 

25 Movement in Myanmar, and other entities proVerDate Sep 11 2014 03:58 Jul 26, 2023 Jkt 039200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6401 E:\BILLS\SR20.RS SR20

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•SRES 20 RS 

1 moting democracy in Burma through nonviolent 

2 efforts, including channeling aid through local 

3 civil society organizations along the Thai and 

4 Indian borders that are not controlled by the 

5 junta, while simultaneously denying legitimacy 

6 and resources to the junta; 

7 (F) promote national reconciliation among 

8 the diverse ethnic and religious groups in 

9 Burma; 

10 (G) counter support to the junta by the 

11 People’s Republic of China and the Russian 

12 Federation and other supporters of the military 

13 regime; and 

14 (H) secure the restoration of democracy, 

15 the establishment of an inclusive and represent16 ative civilian government and a reformed mili17 tary reflecting the diversity of Burma and 

18 under civilian control, and the enactment of 

19 constitutional, political, and economic reform in 

20 Burma. 

21 That the Senate— 

22 (1) supports the people of Burma in their quest 

23 for democracy, sustainable peace, and genuine ethnic 

24 and religious reconciliation, including for members of 

25 ethnic and religious groups whose human rights have 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 been violated repeatedly and who have been 

2 disenfranchised historically; 

3 (2) calls on Burma’s military regime to— 

4 (A) immediately and unconditionally re5 lease all political prisoners detained as a result 

6 of the coup on February 1, 2021; 

7 (B) immediately restore all forms of com8 munication, including access to the internet 

9 without surveillance; 

10 (C) immediately end the use of violence and 

11 allow for a legal process for accountability and 

12 justice for those unlawfully detained, injured, 

13 and killed by Burma’s military regime; 

14 (D) remove all impediments to free travel 

15 that have been imposed as a result of the coup; 

16 (E) return to power all members of the ci17 vilian government elected in the November 8, 

18 2020 elections and allow them to fulfill their 

19 mandate without impediment; 

20 (F) allow for the exercise of freedoms of ex21 pression, including with respect to press free22 doms and the freedom of peaceful assembly, and 

23 freedom of movement; and 

24 (G) allow unfettered reporting from local, 

25 national, and international media; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 (3) calls on social media companies to take ac2 tion with respect to the accounts of the Union Soli3 darity and Development Party and Burma’s military 

4 regime that have used their platforms to spread 

5 disinformation, fear, and threats of violence; 

6 (4) supports the use of all diplomatic, economic, 

7 and development tools to ensure that vulnerable 

8 groups, including ethnic and religious groups, as well 

9 as all children, youth, and teachers in educational 

10 settings are safe, and schools and universities are not 

11 targeted for attacks or use by the military regime; 

12 (5) expresses grave concern for the safety and se13 curity of the more than 1,000,000 internally displaced 

14 persons (referred to in this resolution as ‘‘IDPs’’) and 

15 refugees who have been displaced by Burma’s military 

16 regime and now face challenging conditions in camps 

17 or makeshift communities disconnected from humani18 tarian routes and access; 

19 (6) expresses grave concern for the 17,600,000 

20 people of Burma who are in need of humanitarian 

21 aid, including the 1,500,000 IDPs in Burma, of 

22 which some 165,000 remain in the southeast, adding 

23 to those already displaced in Rakhine, Chin, Shan, 

24 and Kachin states; 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 (7) appreciates the generosity of Burma’s neigh2 boring countries, including Thailand, India, and 

3 Bangladesh, and encourages them to meaningfully as4 sist refugees who have fled and continue to flee Bur5 ma’s military regime, including through the delivery 

6 of cross-border humanitarian assistance and with rec7 ognition of the protracted nature of the conflict; 

8 (8) encourages the Association of Southeast 

9 Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN member states 

10 to take a more active role asserting the unacceptable 

11 nature of the junta’s coup and continued oppression 

12 of the people of Burma, including, if necessary, recon13 sidering their commercial relations with the junta 

14 and state-owned or -controlled enterprises in Burma, 

15 especially where commercial and business arrange16 ments serve as obstacles to action by ASEAN member 

17 states; and 

18 (9) calls on the President, the Secretary of State, 

19 and the Secretary of Defense to fully implement the 

20 BURMA Act of 2022 (subtitle E of title LV of divi21 sion E of Public Law 117–263), and any similar or 

22 successor law or other law addressing United States 

23 foreign assistance following a coup, and to imme24 diately— 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 (A) impose targeted restrictions aimed at 

2 the military regime, military-owned or -con3 trolled enterprises, and those responsible for the 

4 February 1, 2021 coup; 

5 (B) prioritize in bilateral and multilateral 

6 diplomacy, including at the United Nations, 

7 with United States’ allies in the region, and 

8 with ASEAN, the condemnation of the coup and 

9 its international enablers and delegitimization of 

10 the junta and any military-run elections an11 nounced by the junta; 

12 (C) take steps to ensure that international 

13 economic engagement in Burma does not con14 tribute to human rights abuses or benefit indi15 viduals connected to the coup; 

16 (D) support conditionality on diplomatic, 

17 economic, and security relations with Burma, 

18 including using the voice and vote of the United 

19 States at multilateral development institutions, 

20 until all those wrongfully detained in the Feb21 ruary 1, 2021 coup are released and there has 

22 been a full restoration of the civilian-controlled 

23 parliament; 

24 (E) use the voice and vote of the United 

25 States on the United Nations Security Council 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 and in other multilateral and bilateral fora to 

2 bring about greater international cooperation 

3 and support for the pursuit of justice and ac4 countability in Burma; 

5 (F) empower and provide assistance to the 

6 National Unity Government of the Republic of 

7 the Union of Myanmar, the National Unity Con8 sultative Council, the Civil Disobedience Move9 ment in Myanmar, and other entities promoting 

10 democracy in Burma, including the provision of 

11 non-lethal assistance, including to Ethnic Armed 

12 Organizations and People’s Defense Forces, con13 sistent with the BURMA Act (subtitle E of title 

14 LV of division E of Public Law 117–263) and 

15 channeling aid through local civil society organi16 zations along the Thai and Indian borders that 

17 are not controlled by the junta, while simulta18 neously denying legitimacy and resources to the 

19 junta; 

20 (G) promote national reconciliation among 

21 the diverse ethnic and religious groups in 

22 Burma; 

23 (H) counter moral and material support to 

24 the junta by the People’s Republic of China and 

25 the Russian Federation and other supporters of 


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•SRES 20 RS 

1 the military regime, including through the voice 

2 and vote of the United States at the United Na3 tions Security Council and other multilateral 

4 fora; and 

5 (I) secure the restoration of democracy, the 

6 establishment of an inclusive and representative 

7 civilian government and a reformed military re8 flecting the diversity of Burma and under civil9 ian control, and the enactment of constitutional, 

10 political, and economic reform in Burma. 

Amend the title so as to read: ‘‘A resolution condemning the coup that took place on February 1, 2021, 

in Burma and the military regime’s detention of civilian 

leaders, calling for an immediate and unconditional release of all those detained, promoting accountability and 

justice for those killed by the military regime, and calling 

for those elected to serve in parliament to resume their 

duties without impediment, and for other purposes.’’. 


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Calendar No. 154 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 20 

RESOLUTION 

Condemning the coup that took place on February 

purposes. their duties without impediment, and for other for those elected to serve in parliament to resume those killed by the Burmese military, and calling tained, promoting accountability and justice for diate and unconditional release of all those dedetention of civilian leaders, calling for an imme1, 2021, in Burma and the Burmese military’s 

JULY 25, 2023 

Reported with an amendment, and an amendment to the 

preamble, and an amendment to the title 


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